French lawyers investigating if naval arms giant DCN had paid hundreds of millions in kickbacks and commissions to top Malaysian officials including Prime Minister Najib Razak will be giving the latest update on the case in London towards the end of September.
It is not clear if William Bourdon, who was deported from Malaysia in late July, will be part of the group attending the fundraiser organised by Malaysian NGO Suaram or Voice of Malaysia, but according to director Cynthia Gabriel, another well-known French lawyer Joseph Breham will be in London.
Breham is expected to take on where Bourdon was forced to stop due to his deporation. Breham may reveal further damaging details uncovered during investigations into the case. Malaysians who have been following the complex trail expect the Suaram lawyers to confirm that Najib was the mystery 'third party' who flew to Macau and Hong Kong with close friend Razak Baginda and the murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Such a revelation would literally bring the political sky crashing down on an embattled Najib, whose approval rating plunged 6 percentage points to 59 percent from three months ago.
"The ratings plunge is serious and significant enough for UMNO and BN to take note of and take swift action. As government leaders, they should investigate what caused this plunge, why are the people unhappy. This is not something that they should do only for the sake of their own political well-being, but also as responsible leaders tasked by voters to manage the country," Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International Malaysia, told Malaysia Chronicle.
Political sky may come crashing down on Najib
Indeed, Najib's rivals in the UMNO ruling party are chafing at the bit to take him down. Any confirmation that he had known Altantuya would give them the perfect excuse to threaten a no-confidence vote against him as he had previously taken a solemn oath on the Quran that he never knew her.
The 28-year-old beauty was alleged to have been both Baginda and Najib's mistress. She was killed in Malaysia in 2006, and two of Najib's former bodyguards have been senteneced to hang for her death, although neither men had any motive to do so. Their trial has been described by US officials in diplomatic notes leaked on WikiLeaks as being clearly lopsided. Malaysians themselves believe the bodyguards were ordered to kill her to stop her from blowing the whistle on the commissions paid by DCN.
Both Bourdon and Breham are renowned French human rights lawyers, appointed by Suaram to probe if Malaysian taxpayers had been unfairly and excessively charged by DCN. In the course of their probe, they had to check on Baginda's dealings with DCN and it is believed they may have traced air-tickets or some form of documentation showing the travel undertaken by Altantuya, Baginda and the mystery third man to close the deal with DCN.
Things have become too murky in Malaysia
Bourdon, who was unceremoniously deported from Kuala Lumpur in late July, had been slated to talk on the matter at the second-leg of the Malaysian fundraiser. His deportation raised eyebrows, with the news travelling far and wide.
“This is a government – even though they have spent millions on Public Relations firms and management consultants – that keeps shooting itself in the foot. The deportation of the French lawyer is only the latest example. Now, for the first time, all the juicy details of that scandal – including the model who was murdered by the PM’s bodyguards – have appeared in the Washington Post. It just adds to the confusion among people here – what kind of a country is Malaysia, anyhow? And is Najib really the person that he has portrayed himself to be?” John Malott, a former US ambassador, had told Malaysia Chronicle.
The Malaysian defense ministry had purchased two Scorpene and one Agosta submarines in 2002. Najib, then the defense minister, had pushed for the deal which had met public opposition due to its high costs and the unsuitability of the ships. Till now, it is suspected that the Malaysian government is still holding back the full cost of the deal, in particular the long-term maintenance charges.
The most disputed 'cost' comes from a RM570 million support services side-deal signed with Perimekar, a firm with links to Baginda, who also acted as a negotiator in the Malaysian purchase.
Rosmah's presence and Suaram's appeal for funds
Newly-released US cables or diplomatic notes have also thrown doubt on long-standing allegations that Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor, had been present at the scene of the murder with two of her aides-de-camp. However, the cables do not clear her from any involvement but say the Malaysian public "does not have confidence in the integrity of the Altantuya murder investigation.”
It is illegal in France to pay commissions to secure a contract and this is why Suaram has initiated their lawsuit against DCN in Paris, after failing to get the Malaysian authorities and anti-corruption agency to launch a probe.
So far, Suaram has organised three fundraisers to pay the legal fees and the London dinner will be the fourth. However, according to Cynthia, the NGO is still far behind its target and requires more funds to push the French lawsuit with greater speed.
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